Jewell will finalise his line-up after the return from international duty of several key players including England Under 21s star Ryan Taylor - described by former Wigan boss Ray Mathias as an excellent prospect.

"Everton watched him on numerous occasions but I'm glad to see him at Wigan," said Mathias. "He has bags of honesty and endeavour."

Jewell said: "We've had quite a few away on international duty and it's a disruption. It's not been the ideal preparation for us, and I just hope players come back in one piece and aren't too tired.

"It's not the best situation to be in ahead of the game, but there's nothing we can do about it."